Madam Speaker, that is an excellent question. There is indeed a great divide between Quebeckers' values on this religion issue and those of the rest of Canada.
I am not saying that Quebeckers are better than anyone else. That is not the point. There is a difference, though. We believe that religion should remain in the home, in each individual's heart and mind. In our view, when it comes to religion, public practice and public statements lead to crisis and discord.
When it comes to hate speech, it goes even further. People are allowed to tell other people not only how to think, but also how to think about destroying, killing and eliminating religious adversaries. I do not even think “religious adversaries” is the right term. It goes even further. When someone's religion tells them to kill a person, I think their religion should be cast aside. We are against that. We will almost certainly come back with a bill on this subject.
These exemptions have no place in the Criminal Code. Many of my colleagues on both the Liberal and Conservative sides tell me that I am right on this issue. However, when they come to the House to vote, they vote no. Now I am calling on them once again. These two religious exemptions that allow hate speech based on religious texts must be banished from the Criminal Code.